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Double Bass Practicing the dynamics and the articulations and blah blah blah

M

menoluv

Jun 24, 2009
33
0
#1
Ok, i have a prob, which i think is a very BIG one, haha.
you see, i do have a personal tutor, who does not really practice much on the dynamics. And personally, i feel that theres a big problem in them, for example those like crescendo, and to make my 'p' sound more distinct then my 'mf', if u get what i am trying to say. and i notice, that even though i tried practicing alot of the dynamics on my bass, in the end, it still does not sound very distinctive. so i have a question, is there a problem in my method, and i wondering whether there is a much effective way? Thanks
 
#4
just apply dynamics and articulations to your basic exercises. How do you practice intonation? -play scales and arpeggios. So how do you practice articulations and dynamics? Heres an example: Knock out a few birds with one stone - say, practice a G major scale 3 octaves, mf with legato strokes. then practice the same scale ff marcato. just change around the variables and make sure you cover the whole spectrum.
 
#5
Well when you say that they ask for a more distinct sound between your piano and mezzo-forte (p and mf, respectively), you know that p=quiet and mf=kinda loud, but quieter than a forte? When I read your post, this was never established in terms of volume and it seemed like you were getting at a more distinct sound as a difference as opposed to volume. The above suggestions are good for practicing dynamic contrast. Note that basically all of it originates in your right hand. Mike's right-- scales are a great way to practice anything, including dynamics.
 
#6
Many people over-generalize the TENDENCIES of the bow. That is to say, don't develop an entire way of playing around the idea that the bass "sounds quieter near the tip / closer to the fingerboard" and vice versa. Dynamics are ultimately controlled by a delicate balance of pressure and amount-of-hair, which work symbiotically.

Your first goal is to discover the most grand, theatrical sound your instrument can make. This is accomplished by playing closer to the bridge (yes, to contradict a little what I mentioned before) and applying a generous amount of pressure to the bow. You want the sound to be a spinning, beautiful utterance. And to address this before it's even brought up- you most certainly CAN play pianissimo toward the bridge.

Scales are great, so are etudes that feature contrasting sections of dynamics because then you will have MUSICAL examples, in an accessible context, for what you are studying. I study out of Billé, though I'm sure there are Simandl and other method books which have exercises for the dynamics. Even playing a whole note melody very slow, swelling and decrescendo-ing each measure is useable in this instance.
 

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